Word: arcaro
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...even as sharp stewards and sharper-eyed film patrol cameras taught racing to mind its manners, Jockey Edward George Arcaro learned to mind his manners, too. Either way-playing it rough or smooth-Eddie had more than enough skill to stay in front. Last week, when he finally decided to retire at 46, Eddie Arcaro was still a long length ahead of the field. In 31 years hunched over the shoulders of America's finest thoroughbreds, he had brought home $30,039,543 in prize money - more cash than has ever been won by any jockey in history...
Aboard Whirlaway and Citation, Arcaro became the only jockey to win rac ing's famed Triple Crown* twice. He was a record five-time winner of the Derby. He posted six victories in the Preakness and six in the Belmont Stakes, for an other pair of records. Last year Arcaro rode Kelso, one of the greatest racers ever, to a Horse of the Year title, winning seven victories in nine starts to collect...
...Coiled Mind. On a horse, Jockey Arcaro was all coiled mind and muscle. Yet somehow he managed to look ill at ease. His long Cyrano nose protruded beyond his cap and goggles, as he rode in "ace-deuce" fashion with his right stirrup two inches higher than the left. He carried on a running conversation with all his mounts, his voice and spurs and whip speaking urgently but never harshly. He had a theory that it was almost always better to dangle a whip menacingly in front of a horse's nose than to slash heavily at the animal...
...collected his first Derby victory in 1938 on Lawrin, a 9-1 shot that Trainer Ben Jones thought almost too unsound to train. His second Derby victory was on Whirlaway in 1941, a chestnut colt that, for all its speed, had trouble taking a turn. Arcaro solved the problem by giving Whirlaway a long rein. And Trainer Jones helped out on Derby Day by cutting away the left cup of the colt's blinkers. The plan was to give Whirlaway full vision in his left eye so that he would naturally tend to follow the rail on turns. Recalls...
...Money.Minor races and purses never excited Arcaro much ("Cheap horses don't need management-they just run"). As a strategist, he was at his incomparable best when going for the big money in big-stakes races and high-priced handicaps...